Do you have difficulty knowing when to use past simple and past progressive verb tenses?
If so, you’re not alone!
Many English learners struggle with this.
When it comes to activities, there seems to be no rhyme or reason about which native speakers use.
Today, Lindsay and Aubrey break it down and give you a simple secret to know which to choose.
When was the last time?
Aubrey asks Lindsay when she last went sledding.
Lindsay answered that, unfortunately, it’s been a long time since she went sledding.
Because she opts for skiing instead, she can’t even remember the last time she did that.
Aubrey asked the question because the word ‘sledding’ came up in a Q&A session.
These sessions are available to students in All Ears English Personal Coach courses.
They are able to ask questions about what they are learning in their course.
Sledded or sledding?
In the Q&A, a student said, “I sledded last weekend.”
Native English speakers would say, “I went sledding last weekend.”
Lindsay agrees that it would sound strange to be asked, “When’s the last time you sledded?”
In today’s episode, Lindsay and Aubrey will share past simple and past progressive grammar rules.
They’ll also share when native speakers ignore these rules.
Grammar rules
When describing activities done in the past, the grammar is tricky.
The rules you would learn in a textbook don’t always explain what native speakers say.
Lindsay and Aubrey will share tips on how to choose the correct structure.
Here is a quick overview of each grammar rule.
#1: Past simple tense
This is used to describe a completed action that happened at a specific point in the past.
The structure has a subject + verb conjugated in past simple tense.
Example:
I thought I saw your dog in the park.
#2: Past progressive tense
This is used for actions that happened over a period of time in the past.
The structure uses the past tense of ‘be’, which is ‘was’ or ‘were’, followed by the present participle of a main verb.
The main verb will be in the form ‘verb-ing.’
Example:
I was thinking about you yesterday.
Past simple or past progressive?
Here is a pro-trip from Lindsay and Aubrey.
We use past progressive when doing an activity in general.
For example, we say, “I went running.”
However, we use past simple when we’re naming or describing the activity we did.
As an example, we say, “I ran a marathon.”
Another example is when you’re talking about skiing or snowboarding.
These activities are similar to sledding.
If you’re talking about the activity you did, you would say, “I went skiing.”
If you’re naming what you did exactly, you’d say, “I skied a back diamond run.”
Here are more examples with different activities:
#1: Hiking
Past progressive: “I went hiking.”
Past simple: “I hiked Mt. Everest.”
#2: Running and jogging
Past progressive: “I went jogging.”
Past simple: “I jogged a mile.”
#3: Swimming
Past progressive: “I went swimming.”
Past simple: “I swam a mile.”
#4: Surfing
Past progressive: “I went surfing.”
Past simple: “I surfed in a competition last year.”
#5: Grocery shopping
Past progressive: “I went grocery shopping yesterday.”
Past simple: “I shopped at Winco yesterday.”
Roleplay
Here is a quick roleplay from Lindsay and Aubrey using the tips and vocabulary shared in today’s episode.
This will give you a better idea of how you can use everything you learned today in an English conversation.
In this scenario, Lindsay is telling Aubrey about her ski trip
Lindsay: It was so fun! We went skiing every day of the trip.
Aubrey: I’m so jealous. Did you do any black diamonds?
Lindsay: Yes! I skied a couple of black diamonds. I crashed once pretty hard.
Aubrey: That is why I don’t ski! Were you hurt badly?
Lindsay: No, it was pretty minor luckily.
Aubrey: What about the food? Did the resort have a good restaurant?
Lindsay: Yes. There were a few different eateries so we were always trying new spots.
Takeaway
Chatting about what you’ve done recently is a great way to connect.
It can be tricky knowing whether to use past simple or past progressive.
Today’s pro tips will help you know which to use.
Remember, the past simple describes actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
Use past progressive to talk about actions that were happening over a period of time.
If you’re describing a specific event, past simple is the way to go.
For general activities or ongoing actions, opt for past progressive.
Practice these tips and soon you’ll feel confident switching between verb tenses in your conversations.
What is an activity you recently did?
We’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
